When i was young(er) and dumb

I thought it was ok to ship guns from private residence to private residence no problem (i had no clue about fed gun laws). I sent a shotgun from Az to NY, cause i was stupid and thought it would be smart. Now I want it back (its almost dove season). What's the best way to get it back? It's not registered in any state, and I don't want to register it. Would it be best to just fed ex it back down here (Az) or should i bring it down in my checked baggage the next time i fly up there?

If it isn't registered, is it legal? Did you buy it from a private individual? If it was bought from a dealer since 1968, it is registered in the system somewhere. As long as it is a legal firearm, you can have it shipped to an FFL holder near you, there is a list on GunBroker. Or you could bring it back in checked luggage.

DO NOT have it shipped to you, unless you have an FFL. The feds do not have a sense of humor about violations of federal firearms laws. I'm having a rifle I bought long distance shipped to me FFL to FFL right now -- I really hated to do it, but I am not going to spend a couple of years in Club Fed and loose my right to own guns over something so relatively minor. You can usually fly back with a firearm, but you have to declarle it to the airline, have it in a lockable, hard case, and without ammo. Call the specific airline for their requirements.

First, there is no such thing as registration of ordinary firearms at Federal level. Happens to be against the law. When buying a gun FROM A FFL HOLDER, they must retain a record of the sale. That means at their premises. For 20 years.

Now- to the question posed by the OP- You are in state A, gun is in state B. YOU could mail (yes, I said Mail- US Mail) the shotgun to yourself. Perfectly legal, is not a transfer of ownership. However, if you have someone else mail it, or send it UPS, you are getting into a dark gray area. That could be considered transfer of ownership- which must go TO a FFL holder in the receiving state.

Or next time you are there, you could pick up YOUR gun that you LEFT there, and bring it back. Go to the TSA and your airline's web sites for info on transporting a firearm in your checked baggage.

First, there is no such thing as registration of ordinary firearms at Federal level. Happens to be against the law. When buying a gun FROM A FFL HOLDER, they must retain a record of the sale. That means at their premises. For 20 years.

Now- to the question posed by the OP- You are in state A, gun is in state B. YOU could mail (yes, I said Mail- US Mail) the shotgun to yourself. Perfectly legal, is not a transfer of ownership. However, if you have someone else mail it, or send it UPS, you are getting into a dark gray area. That could be considered transfer of ownership- which must go TO a FFL holder in the receiving state.

Or next time you are there, you could pick up YOUR gun that you LEFT there, and bring it back. Go to the TSA and your airline's web sites for info on transporting a firearm in your checked baggage.

You know, I never thought about the issue of mailing it to yourself not being a transfer of ownership -- the issue has never come up with me. But I'd want paperwork to show that it WAS my own gun -- these days the burden of proof has pretty much shifted to the individual to prove their innocence, rather than the government having to prove guilt.

He is talking about New York. I would not try taking a pea shooter to the airport in New York. While it may be legal in the eyes of the Fed, it is probably not legal in the eyes of the NY Gestapo. If he is in NY he could then ship it to himself in AZ if he can get it to the post office or UPS without being arrested. The NY gun laws are ridiculous and the gun may not even be legally possessed by the people that have it.

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I was taught to respect my elders but they are getting harder to find.

What if it were shipped in pieces? Such as barrel, receiver, stock, forend assembly, and mag tube. All of which can be packaged separate and don't constitute a "gun" since without the other parts its inoperable. Just a suggestion...

the reciever whether the other parts are attached or not is still considered a firearm by the BATF. if you ship a reciever to be barreled, it has to go to an FFL for it to be legal.

It's always been my gun, just not in my possession. From what I understand there's no gun registry in Az so no it's not registered to me. It's not registered in NY either because im not an NY resident. Ownership of it has only ever occurred once when I bought it from a private individual (about 5 years ago). So I think ill just mail it to myself. Thanks for the help!